He was a big fluffy bundle of personality and I had a deep connection with him while taking care of him when his parents were out of town.
I will miss you sweet Rocky.
Showing posts with label cat-sitting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cat-sitting. Show all posts
Monday, February 24, 2020
My heart breaks again
He was a big fluffy bundle of personality and I had a deep connection with him while taking care of him when his parents were out of town.
I will miss you sweet Rocky.
Friday, December 27, 2019
A Belated Merry Christmas!
I had a wonderful Christmas at my sister's home, surrounded by family.
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Good-byes are hard
This has been a rough year for some of the furry friends I take care of off and on through the year.
Last year, one sweet kitty - Sophie got sick and was not able to be saved. Her people adopted another, equally as sweet kitty named Mocha. Sadly, Mocha too got very sick (different problem) and was not able to be saved. Both of these girls were close to my heart and I miss them dearly. Their "brother" Rocky is still here and as charming as ever.
Tuesday, an 11 year-old pup I have known since she was adopted by her people also crossed the Rainbow Bridge. She was the sweetest yellow lab I have known. And, like her "sisters" Cleo & Savannah before her, Sandie stole my heart. She was part of my best friend's family.
Even when the fur babies are not your own, it is easy to become very attached.
My heart breaks and tears come to my eyes as well.
Last year, one sweet kitty - Sophie got sick and was not able to be saved. Her people adopted another, equally as sweet kitty named Mocha. Sadly, Mocha too got very sick (different problem) and was not able to be saved. Both of these girls were close to my heart and I miss them dearly. Their "brother" Rocky is still here and as charming as ever.
Tuesday, an 11 year-old pup I have known since she was adopted by her people also crossed the Rainbow Bridge. She was the sweetest yellow lab I have known. And, like her "sisters" Cleo & Savannah before her, Sandie stole my heart. She was part of my best friend's family.
Even when the fur babies are not your own, it is easy to become very attached.
My heart breaks and tears come to my eyes as well.
Friday, August 16, 2019
Up and running!
Thank you to my brother Rick for checking out the wiring diagram and the kiln and fixing the mistake I made. I am now able to fire the large kiln with no problem.
The small kiln I have not given a test firing yet. It seems possibly the tube of the kiln sitter was out of alignment and the sensing rod was getting hung up thus keeping it from tripping the power off. I do not have anything of my own to test fire it with at the moment, so it will have to wait until I can get some things made. (* EDIT - still not working correctly. Will just have to use the large one for the time being.)
In the meantime, my car went into the mechanic last week. I have had a whining noise from under the hood for a few months, but the most disconcerting was the new grinding noise coming from the rear axel area. It sounded like I was dragging a branch. I did not see anything, but thought it could possibly be the wheel bearing go bad. I needed the car for a house/pet sitting a half hour drive away.
I dropped it off on a Thursday morning. Their schedule was packed with appointments and they had to work me in around them. To get an appointment otherwise was at least a two week wait. I waited patiently to hear back. They called at about 4:45 on Friday afternoon for me to come by to pick it up (they close ot 5:00).
It was not the wheel bearing (YES!!!), it was indeed a branch caught up in the undercarriage that was causing that noise.
The whining noise under the hood was the alternator and pulley that needed replacing, the alternator was nearing it's end of life. Thankful for the branch making me think it was a bad bearing for getting me to the mechanic sooner than later.
After a brief case of it overheating (a connector to the cooling fan knocked loose) that was corrected on Monday, all is running smoothly.
I am needing to get my hands back into the clay to create! It is my calming and rejeuvenating activity. And, I also need to get product for the store as well as Mistletoe Market.
The small kiln I have not given a test firing yet. It seems possibly the tube of the kiln sitter was out of alignment and the sensing rod was getting hung up thus keeping it from tripping the power off. I do not have anything of my own to test fire it with at the moment, so it will have to wait until I can get some things made. (* EDIT - still not working correctly. Will just have to use the large one for the time being.)
In the meantime, my car went into the mechanic last week. I have had a whining noise from under the hood for a few months, but the most disconcerting was the new grinding noise coming from the rear axel area. It sounded like I was dragging a branch. I did not see anything, but thought it could possibly be the wheel bearing go bad. I needed the car for a house/pet sitting a half hour drive away.
I dropped it off on a Thursday morning. Their schedule was packed with appointments and they had to work me in around them. To get an appointment otherwise was at least a two week wait. I waited patiently to hear back. They called at about 4:45 on Friday afternoon for me to come by to pick it up (they close ot 5:00).
It was not the wheel bearing (YES!!!), it was indeed a branch caught up in the undercarriage that was causing that noise.
The whining noise under the hood was the alternator and pulley that needed replacing, the alternator was nearing it's end of life. Thankful for the branch making me think it was a bad bearing for getting me to the mechanic sooner than later.
After a brief case of it overheating (a connector to the cooling fan knocked loose) that was corrected on Monday, all is running smoothly.
I am needing to get my hands back into the clay to create! It is my calming and rejeuvenating activity. And, I also need to get product for the store as well as Mistletoe Market.
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Continuing on...
I am back at work. I think the pain has subsided enough so I can handle working a full day. Yesterday was a success.
I also had 2 classes on the calendar. One for this Saturday and one for next. The one next Saturday was to be a clay cup class. That one has been cancelled. I cannot get my right hand into the clay to even make the samples. This Saturday is an Iris Folding card class. That, I was able to work with some of what I had and carefully chart some new patterns to some clipart shapes. The four cards are pictured here:
I don't have the patience today to figure out why this is posting sideways... another time perhaps.
At least I was able to get something done so I didn't have to cancel that class as well.
I also have a cast that leaves my fingers and thumb more useable. So, I am driving... short distances. I can grip the steering wheel with my hand easily enough and I can turn the wheeel a bit. Most of the driving is done with my left hand thoough. This has allowed me to get back to house/pet-sitting! I had to cancel one job because it was to start the day after my slip & fall. That did not make me happy at all. My friend was able to stay home while her husband went to work on the boat in FL. This time I am watching the cats of a friend as she spends her first summer vacation at the beach with her children and grandchildren, but not her husband. His decline in health began while on vacation last year and he passed away last week. This vacation was already paid for.
Back to work, I guess! Thanks for checking in.
I also had 2 classes on the calendar. One for this Saturday and one for next. The one next Saturday was to be a clay cup class. That one has been cancelled. I cannot get my right hand into the clay to even make the samples. This Saturday is an Iris Folding card class. That, I was able to work with some of what I had and carefully chart some new patterns to some clipart shapes. The four cards are pictured here:
I don't have the patience today to figure out why this is posting sideways... another time perhaps.
At least I was able to get something done so I didn't have to cancel that class as well.
I also have a cast that leaves my fingers and thumb more useable. So, I am driving... short distances. I can grip the steering wheel with my hand easily enough and I can turn the wheeel a bit. Most of the driving is done with my left hand thoough. This has allowed me to get back to house/pet-sitting! I had to cancel one job because it was to start the day after my slip & fall. That did not make me happy at all. My friend was able to stay home while her husband went to work on the boat in FL. This time I am watching the cats of a friend as she spends her first summer vacation at the beach with her children and grandchildren, but not her husband. His decline in health began while on vacation last year and he passed away last week. This vacation was already paid for.
Back to work, I guess! Thanks for checking in.
Sunday, April 9, 2017
Is it April already?
My, how time does fly!
I do have a photo of the completed heart pieces my students made. They turned out beautifully!
I did not glaze mine yet, I have not decided how I want it to look.
Last month at our A MUSE meeting, I brought clay and everyone was able to make whatever they wanted. I did bring a couple of templates for simple slab bowls if they wanted. Terri decided to make a wall pocket and Nanelyn was the only rectangular piece. Suzanne had the ruffled edge.
The ladies who were able to come to yesterdays meeting glazed theirs and I will fire after I am done with house/cat sitting. I do promise to post a photo of their completed pieces.
We had a wonderful Spring Jubilee last weekend here in town. But I am surely enjoying the first day off in 2 weeks today!
I have been trying out use of essential oils for a variety of things in life. I don't know if they have kept me from getting sick, but I feel better because of them. I diffuse them at night in an effort to help my sleep and they do seem to help. I also have a diffuser bracelet that I wear with my favorite EO (Thieves). Thieves is purported to help with overall health and well-being... I LOVE the smell of it! Essential oils date back to biblical times and sometimes the tried and true natural ways do make more sense than artificial chemical derived ways.
Just a couple of days left to house & cat sit. Enjoying the lake while I can.
And, before I go, here are the candy bar wrappers I designed and made for Easter this year.
I do have a photo of the completed heart pieces my students made. They turned out beautifully!
I did not glaze mine yet, I have not decided how I want it to look.
Last month at our A MUSE meeting, I brought clay and everyone was able to make whatever they wanted. I did bring a couple of templates for simple slab bowls if they wanted. Terri decided to make a wall pocket and Nanelyn was the only rectangular piece. Suzanne had the ruffled edge.
The ladies who were able to come to yesterdays meeting glazed theirs and I will fire after I am done with house/cat sitting. I do promise to post a photo of their completed pieces.
We had a wonderful Spring Jubilee last weekend here in town. But I am surely enjoying the first day off in 2 weeks today!
I have been trying out use of essential oils for a variety of things in life. I don't know if they have kept me from getting sick, but I feel better because of them. I diffuse them at night in an effort to help my sleep and they do seem to help. I also have a diffuser bracelet that I wear with my favorite EO (Thieves). Thieves is purported to help with overall health and well-being... I LOVE the smell of it! Essential oils date back to biblical times and sometimes the tried and true natural ways do make more sense than artificial chemical derived ways.
Just a couple of days left to house & cat sit. Enjoying the lake while I can.
And, before I go, here are the candy bar wrappers I designed and made for Easter this year.
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Out with the old and in with the new
It has been a busy year. I have been working at our store, which consumes 6 days a week, and I have been busy with house/pet-sitting as well. My one regret is that I have not had as much time to put into my clay creating as I had wanted to, for a number of reasons, including not being home in the evenings while house sitting. I also was just not in that frame of mind for a bit and it took a lot to get myself back into the groove. I hope to not have that happen this coming year. (I think I say that EVERY year!)
One thing I did do was make a family favorite treat at Christmas time: Strufoli. It is an Italian treat, from what we can tell, it probably is Sicilian. I had not made it since the 1980's! My intention was to make it last year, but the very night I was planning to make it was when I got so sick.
It started with Mom's recipe:
This is not the copy we used to use in her cookbook, but it is in her handwriting. The "original" was long ago stained with oils and probably honey as well.
Then, after mixing the dough, I rolled it into small balls:
Once I was about 2/3 of the way through rolling them, I started heating the oil in a shallow pan on the stove. I also started to heat the honey mixed with the orange rind. I added the surplus lemon rind I had grated for the dough.:
Once the dough had been fried to a light golden brown, I drained it on paper towels, along with some slivered almonds I also had lightly toasted in the oil:
Into the infused honey they went, and then they drained a bit before placing them in the serving dish:
Once in the dish, they were joined by the almonds (which had also gone into the honey bath) and sprinkled with colorful non-pariels:
It was sooooo good! Memories of Mom & Nana came flooding into my head as I taste tested the first piece. Brother Rick and his wife Alice were visiting over Christmas and he approved of the taste. We also brought it down to our niece Karen's house the day after Christmas and our Sister Sue approved. Karen and her brother Bobby and his wife Shelly also approved, although they don't recall ever having it before. I was sure to leave some with all of them. I then brought a bit into the store yesterday to share with our friend Marissa (who had made it before) and she liked it. (Her 2 year old son loved it so much he stole all of the leftovers from her!) I just wish I had known her mom Rose was going to be in the store on Christmas Eve, I would have brought some for her to try, it is one of her favorites.
If you have never had it before, it is not an overly sweet treat, the sweetness comes from the honey, but it is delectable!
My next project is to get a sample puffed heart wall hanging done out of porcelain for a class I am teaching in January. And also pull out the Teapot mold so I can make an Ebonyware teapot for a customer who received one in the 1990's and had broken it. It was such a surprise to open that email and read that she had looked to see if I was still out here and still making pottery.
May 2017 be a year of healing and of joys. I was horrified at how nasty all sides got during the US presidential election. I can only say I did not like any of the candidates from the time the first one threw their hat into the ring. But we must persevere and try again next time to find a cast of candidates better suited to the job at hand. I know some of you may disagree with me, that is fine. If we all had the same tastes and same opinions, the world would be a very boring place. It takes all to make things work. And a lot of the politicians on both sides need to learn how to work together and compromise. This all or nothing attitude has made the work of our presidents difficult for many years, through several presidencies.
Ok, my semi-rant is over.
Peace to you and yours.
One thing I did do was make a family favorite treat at Christmas time: Strufoli. It is an Italian treat, from what we can tell, it probably is Sicilian. I had not made it since the 1980's! My intention was to make it last year, but the very night I was planning to make it was when I got so sick.
It started with Mom's recipe:
Then, after mixing the dough, I rolled it into small balls:
Once I was about 2/3 of the way through rolling them, I started heating the oil in a shallow pan on the stove. I also started to heat the honey mixed with the orange rind. I added the surplus lemon rind I had grated for the dough.:
Once the dough had been fried to a light golden brown, I drained it on paper towels, along with some slivered almonds I also had lightly toasted in the oil:
Into the infused honey they went, and then they drained a bit before placing them in the serving dish:
Once in the dish, they were joined by the almonds (which had also gone into the honey bath) and sprinkled with colorful non-pariels:
It was sooooo good! Memories of Mom & Nana came flooding into my head as I taste tested the first piece. Brother Rick and his wife Alice were visiting over Christmas and he approved of the taste. We also brought it down to our niece Karen's house the day after Christmas and our Sister Sue approved. Karen and her brother Bobby and his wife Shelly also approved, although they don't recall ever having it before. I was sure to leave some with all of them. I then brought a bit into the store yesterday to share with our friend Marissa (who had made it before) and she liked it. (Her 2 year old son loved it so much he stole all of the leftovers from her!) I just wish I had known her mom Rose was going to be in the store on Christmas Eve, I would have brought some for her to try, it is one of her favorites.
If you have never had it before, it is not an overly sweet treat, the sweetness comes from the honey, but it is delectable!
My next project is to get a sample puffed heart wall hanging done out of porcelain for a class I am teaching in January. And also pull out the Teapot mold so I can make an Ebonyware teapot for a customer who received one in the 1990's and had broken it. It was such a surprise to open that email and read that she had looked to see if I was still out here and still making pottery.
May 2017 be a year of healing and of joys. I was horrified at how nasty all sides got during the US presidential election. I can only say I did not like any of the candidates from the time the first one threw their hat into the ring. But we must persevere and try again next time to find a cast of candidates better suited to the job at hand. I know some of you may disagree with me, that is fine. If we all had the same tastes and same opinions, the world would be a very boring place. It takes all to make things work. And a lot of the politicians on both sides need to learn how to work together and compromise. This all or nothing attitude has made the work of our presidents difficult for many years, through several presidencies.
Ok, my semi-rant is over.
Peace to you and yours.
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Thankful
I have not had the time to post this last month as I was feverishly producing for the Mistletoe Market. I can report that the show was a great success again this year with a lot of Angel & Santa Hat ornaments finding new homes.
I had some great feedback about the ornaments. Some thought the angels should have bells inside to go with the famous quote from It's A Wonderful Life. Some thought the Santa Hats should also have bells, jingle bells. I am not sure if I will do either, but they are not bad ideas.
Here is a close-up of the Santa Hats.
Thanksgiving was a fabulous day filled with my family and delicious foods. This evening I am house-sitting & cat-sitting for a friend. Tomorrow is a long day at work. Black Friday and we will also be staying open late during the Tree Lighting Ceremony on the Village Green just out in front of our store.
With all of that going on, the return of kidney stones is not a good thing. Hopefully they will sit in one spot and not move.
Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving (what is left of it) and a Merry Christmas. May the New Year bring you peace and happiness. (I do hope to check in with you before then.)
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| The ornament display when I had forgotten to bring the Christmas tree... |
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| The rest of the booth. |
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| I brought the tree the second day and placed it on the other table. |
I had some great feedback about the ornaments. Some thought the angels should have bells inside to go with the famous quote from It's A Wonderful Life. Some thought the Santa Hats should also have bells, jingle bells. I am not sure if I will do either, but they are not bad ideas.
Here is a close-up of the Santa Hats.
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| Santa Hat ornaments, introduced 11/18/2016 |
Thanksgiving was a fabulous day filled with my family and delicious foods. This evening I am house-sitting & cat-sitting for a friend. Tomorrow is a long day at work. Black Friday and we will also be staying open late during the Tree Lighting Ceremony on the Village Green just out in front of our store.
With all of that going on, the return of kidney stones is not a good thing. Hopefully they will sit in one spot and not move.
Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving (what is left of it) and a Merry Christmas. May the New Year bring you peace and happiness. (I do hope to check in with you before then.)
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Progress!
I have been busy with a lot of house & pet-sitting jobs lately, but I am trying to squeeze in some creative time in between to build stock for the Mistletoe Market.
I have a kiln load of angels bisque firing at the moment, and included in that firing are some pumpkins!
The pumpkins second from the left in both rows are mine, the others were made by 3 of my students. I have since made more and will have some available at Mistletoe Market.
A customer came in The Mercantile yesterday and asked if I had a new design for ornaments this year (in addition to the angels), so I am working on a couple of ideas there. I am also working on some leaf ornament samples for a class I will be offering in a couple of weeks.
I had a scare today while Dad was out, I looked out the front window as a Pendleton Police car pulled into our driveway. P A N I C!! It turns out that some kids called 9-1-1 and would not let the operator speak to an adult. And it was from a cell phone that showed it was about where our house is. I sent him to a house a couple of doors down where I know they have children. There aren't many on our street.
So, that is about all I can report on today.
I have a kiln load of angels bisque firing at the moment, and included in that firing are some pumpkins!
A customer came in The Mercantile yesterday and asked if I had a new design for ornaments this year (in addition to the angels), so I am working on a couple of ideas there. I am also working on some leaf ornament samples for a class I will be offering in a couple of weeks.
I had a scare today while Dad was out, I looked out the front window as a Pendleton Police car pulled into our driveway. P A N I C!! It turns out that some kids called 9-1-1 and would not let the operator speak to an adult. And it was from a cell phone that showed it was about where our house is. I sent him to a house a couple of doors down where I know they have children. There aren't many on our street.
So, that is about all I can report on today.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Me again :~)
Checking in, I have nothing new to really share, but I wanted to make an effort to post.
I start a house & cat-sitting job after work today... and when I finish next Tuesday morning, I go to another one Tuesday evening for 3 days, home for a day after that and then 5 days at another. I leave that one on one day, and go to the next one the next day! Busy time of year! But I love it!
The only drawback to the pet-sitting is that I am afraid to bring my clay. First of all, I don't want my clay mess in their homes and secondly, yet just as critical, cats and wet clay items do not always mix well... I remember that well from Max.
Well, I need to get back to some things I am working on. I don't even know if anyone reads this anymore. But I felt I needed to try to make a habit of posting again.
I start a house & cat-sitting job after work today... and when I finish next Tuesday morning, I go to another one Tuesday evening for 3 days, home for a day after that and then 5 days at another. I leave that one on one day, and go to the next one the next day! Busy time of year! But I love it!
The only drawback to the pet-sitting is that I am afraid to bring my clay. First of all, I don't want my clay mess in their homes and secondly, yet just as critical, cats and wet clay items do not always mix well... I remember that well from Max.
Well, I need to get back to some things I am working on. I don't even know if anyone reads this anymore. But I felt I needed to try to make a habit of posting again.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
One step at a time
It is cat & house sitting at the lake time again... it is so peaceful out here. Especially compared to the festival I had my pottery at today. The photos are from before the crowds arrived and the group at the food booth featuring foods from Bangladesh was packed (they were right next to our booth.).
I had a very successful firing of the new Red Silk Porcelain pieces.
It was a breezy & sometimes windy day, luckily, I had nothing break.
I have had a bit of a creative block lately, working 6 days a week is not allowing me the time to create. I love my job & my customers and I cannot think of anything I would rather do. But, the creating of my pottery is something that re-charges my soul. I am so exhausted in the evenings it is difficult to create then. My only day with any time at all, is Sunday, my only day off, and the only day I can run errands I cannot get to during the week. Do I stay home and create? Do I run the necessary errands? I only wish that business at the store was strong enough to hire someone two days a week so that my sister and I can each get a day off. We both work hard.
I think that I got past the creative block for now, which is good, I have a big show in Clayton, GA at the end of April... I need to get a lot produced between now and then!
Next weekend is Spring Jubilee here in town, we will have the store open on Sunday as well... that means no day off until the 2nd Saturday of April. I can do this, I have been doing this, I will do this... one step at a time...
Thanks for visiting my blog and thanks for listening. I hope you are all well.
Til next time...
I had a very successful firing of the new Red Silk Porcelain pieces.
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| Red Silk Porcelain Sake Bottles with & without glaze on the shoulder, roly sake cups and a scalloped pin/sauce dish. |
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| Red Silk Porcelain Sake Bottle with clear glaze on the shoulder & neck. |
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| Red Silk Porcelain Sake Bottle and 2 roly Sake Cups with no glaze on the outside. |
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| Scalloped Red Silk Porcelain Pin/Sauce Dish. |
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| My small display at the International Festival at Clemson University. |
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| My new Deep Purple glaze on one of my scalloped Ebonyware Porcelain bowls. |
I think that I got past the creative block for now, which is good, I have a big show in Clayton, GA at the end of April... I need to get a lot produced between now and then!
Next weekend is Spring Jubilee here in town, we will have the store open on Sunday as well... that means no day off until the 2nd Saturday of April. I can do this, I have been doing this, I will do this... one step at a time...
Thanks for visiting my blog and thanks for listening. I hope you are all well.
Til next time...
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Adventures in Cat-Sitting
A little history first.
When I was young, in Jr. High and High School, I used to pet-sit for our neighbors pets. Sometimes it was just one cat or one dog, but often it was for our 'back-door' neighbors who had a few cats and dogs. The time I remember most was when both dogs and the 2 female cats had litters at about the same time... wow! Unfortunately some of the tiny kittens died because their 'not much more than a kitten herself' mom abandoned them and I could not find them until it was too late. Boy did that upset me!
But the puppies... lots and lots of puppies! One mom was a Wiemeraner (sp?) and the other was a Border Collie. I remember naming them while the family was away. I think their vacation was 2 weeks, but that was a looooooong time ago. They were so cute! And they'd just all climb all over me when I'd sit on the floor! I loved it!
In my adult life, I have had only cats... I'd love to have a dog, but I don't have the time to make sure it gets regular walking and is taken out for potty time. Cats are a little more self-sufficient - most of the time...
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| Rocky & Sophie hanging out on the spiral staircase |
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| The view from the house |
Flash forward a couple more weeks and my friend Lisa, here in town had seen my mention of cat-sitting on my Facebook page and asked if I had done it just as a favor, or if I was open to doing it again. And, as a lover of cats & dogs, I said I would be glad to help her out if needed.
This time I am just cat-sitting, not house-sitting as well. And the cutie I am sitting for is also named Sophie. She is a beautiful short-hair white cat with beautiful green eyes! She greets me with meows at the front door and loves to give kitty-kisses. She sure misses her mom... this is the longest her mom has been away from her...
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| Sophie misses her mom |
I miss my Max, he was my own sweetie. But he has been gone now for over 3 1/2 years. He lived a long life and kept me company through some good times and some bad times. If my life weren't so crazy, I'd adopt another cat. But I don't have the time to give one the time and attention it needs... though some day, things may be different.
And, who knows, maybe some day I'll get a dog... you never know...
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| My Max... |
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